5 Ways to Stay Focused at Work

It’s the month of May – so there will be a lot of lists of 5s on the blog this month! If you missed the previous one, check here!

Today, we’ll be looking at five ways to stay focused on work in the midst of distractions – trust me, your colleague’s perfume can be a distraction!

If there’s anyone that finds it difficult to stay focused at work, that’s me! I mean, in the course of my job I have to delve into creative mode and if there’s anything that can make my mind wander – it is creativity.

One of the toughest times of my work life was during the wedding planning. I did not have a wedding planner so, the bulk of the work was on me, Husband Guy and our families. It was so hard to concentrate at work! Here are some concentration tips I’ve learned over the past 7 O_O years of working:-

Clear your desk: Ensure you only have what you need on your table – personally, my phone can be a distraction – so I toss it in my bag/drawer sometimes. On my work desk, I have my laptop + wallet + MiFi + a picture of the lover to help me concentrate on the WHY I work.

Noise Cancellation Earphones/Headphones + Your kind of music: Husband guy linked me up with this channel on Spotify and YouTube called Chill Hop – Chillhop is a lo-fi hip hop livestream, full of mellow melodic beats perfect for studying, work, relaxing, smoking or focusing – that’s what they say and they ain’t lying! Nothing says “don’t disturb me” like earphones and a good side eye!

List your top 3 work goals for the day – and focus! New requests should not automatically find themselves at the top of your list. For me, it is better to plan for the next day at the end of each work day. So, what did I fail to do? What have I scheduled for tomorrow? Write out a list and ensure you execute everything. If it’s not within your power, send a reminder to the person who can handle it.Bear this in mind, nothing is ever cast in stone – so give room for changes. Even if you are unable to complete one thing today, ensure you eliminate a sizeable portion of it.

Pause your Personal Messages:This is tough for some people – like me. What works for me is to toss my phone in my bag or drawer and create chat response windows of 10 mins every other hour. I link it to my bathroom breaks (I drink A LOT of water), so I don’t feel so guilty tapping away at my phone.

Take meaningful breaks: A good way to stay focused is to take meaningful breaks. For a lot of us, the only free time is when we go to get lunch. Try not to eat lunch at your desk – I am guilty guilty guilty of this. I don’t take lunch breaks – so, I try to close my laptop for 10-15 minutes during lunch and concentrate on what I am eating. One thing I want to introduce is Blog Time/OBI time during my lunch hour! OBI means Outside Business Interest!

What are the things you can do during lunch?

Take a walk (outside the building, if possible) – one trick that works for me is to start a phone conversation with someone I really need to catch up with. Ensure you set a timer so you don’t get carried away!

Go out to lunch – This does not necessarily mean out of the building. Offer to buy a colleague lunch.

Catch up on Snapchat/Instagram Stories – This is my fav. I’m too shy to ask someone out to lunch, so I am more comfortable with my earphones. ( -_-)

So, tell me the ways you focus on work… Are they similar to mine? Share and let’s learn.